Staggs v. Doctors Hospital of Manteca, Inc.

CourtDistrict Court, E.D. California
DecidedJuly 3, 2024
Docket2:11-cv-00414
StatusUnknown

This text of Staggs v. Doctors Hospital of Manteca, Inc. (Staggs v. Doctors Hospital of Manteca, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Staggs v. Doctors Hospital of Manteca, Inc., (E.D. Cal. 2024).

Opinion

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 9 FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 10 11 LINNIE STAGGS, as Administrator of No. 2:11-CV-00414-DJC-CSK the Estate of Robert E. Staggs, and 12 MELISSA STAGGS, 13 Plaintiffs, AMENDED FINAL PRETRIAL ORDER 14 v. 15 DOCTOR’S HOSPITAL OF MANTECA, INC.; JACK ST. CLAIR, M.D.; CURTIS 16 ALLEN, M.D.; EDWIN BANGI, M.D.; JOHN KRPAN; MARIO SATTAH, M.D.; 17 ZACHARY STAGGS; and ALEXA WINTEMBERG, as next of friend of 18 ALEXA STAGGS, 19 Defendants. 20 21 On June 10, 2024, the Court issued the Final Pretrial Order following a final 22 pretrial conference. (See ECF No. 366.) On June 24, 2024, Plaintiffs filed objections 23 to the Final Pretrial Order. (See ECF No. 367.) In light of Plaintiffs’ objections, the 24 Court issues the following Amended Final Pretrial Order, which shall govern the 25 remainder of the proceedings. 26 First, the Court addresses Plaintiffs’ specific objections regarding the expert for 27 Defendant Mario Sattah. Plaintiffs asked that the Court “reconsider its Order allowing 28 substitution of the expert because there is evidence that Defendant Sattah was not 1 diligent in seeking substitution of the expert.” (ECF No. 367 at 2.) As an initial matter, 2 though the Court GRANTS Plaintiff’s request for judicial notice, the stipulation Plaintiffs 3 cite is from August 1, 2022, which necessarily means that this is not new evidence that 4 only recently became available to Plaintiffs. It is thus not a basis for the Court to 5 reconsider its prior decision. See, e.g., School Dist. No. 1J, Multnomah Cnty., Or. v. 6 ACandS, Inc., 5 F.3d 1255, 1263 (9th Cir. 1993) (“The overwhelming weight of 7 authority is that the failure to file documents in an original motion or opposition does 8 not turn the late filed documents into ‘newly discovered evidence.’” (collecting 9 cases)). That is sufficient to deny Plaintiffs’ request. 10 However, and more importantly, the Court finds that there is no reason to 11 “require a sworn declaration, preferably from Dr. Marx, that his unavailability could 12 have been known to counsel for Dr. Sattah only very recently.” (ECF No. 367 at 3.) As 13 officers of the court who owe the Court a duty of candor, see California Business and 14 Professions Code section 6068(d), the Court credits the statements provided by 15 counsel at the Final Pretrial Conference that she had been recently informed that Dr. 16 Marx had a medical condition that would not permit his testimony. An unexpected 17 medical emergency has always been sufficient to establish “good cause” under Rule 18 16. See, e.g., Deckers Outdoor Corp. v. Romeo & Juliette, Inc., No. 2:15-cv-02812- 19 ODW (PLAx), 2017 WL 11629880, at *1 (C.D. Cal. Aug. 3, 2017) (granting motion 20 where the original expert “recently suffered a severe medical condition that precludes 21 him from working further on this case”). Therefore, the Court concludes that, even if 22 the Court were to reconsider its prior decision, Defendant Sattah has established 23 good cause and diligence through the representations of his counsel. See, e.g., id.; 24 Landes v. Skil Power Tools, No. 2:12-cv-01252-MCE-KJN, 2013 WL 6859837, at *3 25 (E.D. Cal. Dec. 30, 2013) (granting motion where the movant began search for new 26 expert and promptly conferred with opposing counsel upon learning that the retained 27 expert would no longer adhere to the agreement). Thus, the Court DENIES Plaintiff’s 28 request for reconsideration. (See ECF No. 367 at 2–3.) 1 Second, Plaintiffs asked that the Court limit the new expert’s report and 2 testimony to the “’subject matter and theories already espoused by the former 3 expert.’” (Id. at 3 (quoting Holley v. Gilead Sciences, Inc., No. 19-cv-06972, 2023 WL 4 3607289, at *5 (N.D. Cal. Mar. 27, 2023)).) The Court agrees because “’[w]hen experts 5 are substituted, the substitute expert’s report and testimony is usually limited to the 6 subject matter and theories already espoused by the former expert.’” Jones v. Nat’l Rr. 7 Passenger Corp., No. 15-CV-02726-TSH, 2022 WL 689000, at *3 (N.D. Cal. Feb. 23, 8 2022) (quoting Chien Van Bui v. City and Cnty. of San Francisco, 11-cv-04189-LB, 2019 9 WL 4959056, at *2 (N.D. Cal. Jan. 31, 2008)). Therefore, the Court GRANTS Plaintiffs’ 10 request to limit the testimony of the new expert to the same subject matter and 11 theories espoused by Dr. Marx. (See ECF No. 367 at 3.) See also 6/6/2024 Final 12 Pretrial Conference ECRO Recording at 2:24:08–2:24:15 (The Court stating that it 13 “would be prepared to limit the expert to the subject matter that was in Dr. Marx’s 14 report.”) 15 Finally, Plaintiffs asked for two new deadlines. These requests are GRANTED. 16 (See ECF No. 367 at 4.) The Court includes the two new deadlines below in the 17 Amended Final Pretrial Order, but, in short: 18 1. The parties shall exchange any portions of depositions, answers to 19 interrogatories, and responses to requests for admission as 20 contemplated by Local Rule 281(b)(12) by July 17, 2024, with any 21 objections due by July 22, 2024; and 22 2. The parties shall exchange all exhibits no later than 21 days before trial, 23 that is, by July 8, 2024. The other deadlines related to exhibits remains, 24 meaning that the parties shall file a copy of their respective final exhibit 25 lists no later than July 17, 2024, and any objections to exhibits shall be 26 filed on or before July 22, 2024. 27 //// 28 //// 1 On Thursday, June 6, 2024, the Court conducted a final pretrial conference. 2 Attorney Carter Capps White appeared on behalf of Plaintiffs and Attorney Carolyn 3 Northrup appeared on behalf of Defendant Doctor’s Hospital of Manteca, Inc.; 4 Attorney Diana Esquivel appeared on behalf of Defendants Jack St. Clair, Curtis Allen, 5 Edwin Bangi, and Joh Krpan; and Attorneys Curtis E. Jimerson and Stephanie Roundy 6 appeared on behalf of Defendant Mario Sattah. Based on the results of that pretrial 7 conference and the filed objections, the Court now issues this Amended Final Pretrial 8 Order. 9 This action proceeds on Plaintiffs’ Corrected Fourth Amended Complaint (ECF 10 No. 117) against Defendants for the following claims after Defendants’ Motion for 11 Summary Judgment was denied except with respect to the Sixth Claim for Relief (see 12 ECF No. 203): 13 • First Claim for Relief – Denial of rights under the Eighth and Fourteenth 14 Amendments to the U.S. Constitution for deliberate indifference to a 15 serious medical need against: 16 o Defendant Jack St. Clair; 17 o Defendant Edward Bangi; and 18 o Defendant John Krpan. 19 • Second Claim for Relief – Failing to summon and provide medical care 20 under California Government Code section 845.6 against: 21 o Defendant Jack St. Clair; 22 o Defendant Curtis Allen; 23 o Defendant Edward Bangi; and 24 o Defendant John Krpan. 25 • Third Claim for Relief – Negligence for the ongoing failure to diagnose 26 and treat Mr. Stagg’s liver condition against: 27 o Defendant John Krpan; 28 o Defendant Edward Bangi; 1 o Defendant Mario Sattah; 2 o Defendant Jack St. Clair; and 3 o Defendant Doctor’s Hospital of Manteca, Incorporated. 4 • Fourth Claim for Relief – Denial of rights under the Eighth and Fourteenth 5 Amendments to the U.S. Constitution for deliberate indifference in 6 conducting the liver biopsy procedure against: 7 o Defendant John Krpan; 8 o Defendant Curtis Allen; 9 o Defendant Jack St. Clair; 10 o Defendant Mario Sattah; 11 o Defendant Edward Bangi; 12 o Defendant Doctor’s Hospital of Manteca, Incorporated 13 • Seventh Claim for Relief: Wrongful Death under California Code of Civil 14 Procedure § 377.60 15 o (Nominal) Defendant Zachary Staggs; 16 o (Nominal) Defendant Alexa Wintemburg; 17 o Defendant John Krpan; 18 o Defendant Curtis Allen; 19 o Defendant Jack St.

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Staggs v. Doctors Hospital of Manteca, Inc., Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/staggs-v-doctors-hospital-of-manteca-inc-caed-2024.